I am actually not surprised by this to tell you the truth. I'm reminded of how the MGM Grand in Las Vegas uses an alternate entrance for Asian high-rollers -- entering a lion's mouth (main entrance) just rankles the sensibilities and seems inauspicious to many. We associate tiki with a certain laid-back playfulness but many in other parts of the world (esp. Asia I suspect) would tend to think, why "play" with images that suggest mysterious powers and are associated with foreign religious beliefs? It just doesn't seem right, and as they have invested quite a bit in their vacation, they may well not at all appreciate having this extraneous factor enter into their (not inexpensive) trip. We are programmed to cue in on human (and human-like) faces. Babies focus in on them very quickly after birth; it's "wired" into our brains. It's not surprising that someone from another culture might find a highly stylized face, seeming to "stare" at the room's inhabitants, unwelcome. Disney's decision seems pretty rational given the range of people they accomodate.

You are right Tropical.. I understand in the long run the reasons...especially when you consider other cultures that are not exposed as liberally to images as we are in the US.
Many times, I was asked to design attractions in Asia dealing with adventures in the jungle or even "haunted themes" but told not to show skulls or things like that. Just depends on the regions. So, yes, Disney covers a broad market of visitors and just covers their butts by avoiding controversy when they can.
One funny comment I recall when designing attractions for Disney Sea in Tokyo was a simulator ride idea I developed based on a submarine race with "evolved" sea creatures of tomorrow that raced humans underwater.

It was a humorous thrill attraction. All at Disney internally loved the idea and the characters I developed, but when I pitched it to the Japanese side for approval to devop the idea further, they red flagged it. They said" In Japan, we just don't think of sea creatures as "funny". Then they added.."Oh..except for an octopus...now, they are funny!" With that , we looked at eachother and again realized that at times, you can't fight the perceptions of a culture. Also, can't expect them to understand the psyche of the "warped Americans" sense of what they find amusing! All in fun though.

Do you know what happens when you paint Tiki's and hang the pictures in the bedroom? Late at night, when the moon is hiding and a chill runs through the air, the Tiki's come to life and drink the drool out of the corner of your mouth. After that, they mess up your hair. And you thought all this time it was the pillow that gave you that lovely hairdo each morning. Now you know why people are scared.

here's more info on the newly-opened Boutiki shop, along with a link to some photos. (source: www.allearsnet.com)

It's not just the rooms that are getting renovated over at the Polynesian -- the resort's retail shops are also getting a
facelift. A new store, called BouTIKI, opened last Wednesday morning in the space formerly occupied by the Wyland Galleries.
Wooden statues scattered around the new shop, which features a variety of merchandise, were made in Bali and weigh up to 1,000 pounds each. Among its many items, BouTIKI sells the types of sundries and men's and women's fashions previously sold in the resort's other stores, like News from Polynesia and Polynesian Princess, which are both now closed. The Wyland Galleries is
currently in a temporary location down the hall from Captain Cook's Snack Company, but will eventually move into the former
News from Polynesia space. The pin kiosk previously located outside of News from Polynesia has been relocated, and plans are
for Captain Cook's to eventually expand as well.
For a few photos of the new shop (courtesy of Linda Mac), visit:
http://allearsnet.com/acc/g_poly.htm#shop

We went to dinner at the Polynesian on the 20th for my fiance's birthday. I took some pictures of Boutiki and I'll try to get them posted. They have some cute Stitch stuff for the Disney lovers and a few Tommy Bahama mugs. They have some cool tiki pedestals, with are not for sale, unfortunately.

in a pitch to get hosting help for a Polynesian Resort fan site, Cory Doctorow says:

"The Poly is one of my favorite hotels in the world. I wrote the middle chapters of 'Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom' on a lanai in the Roratonga [sic] long-house, listening to the distant howl of the wolves at the Haunted Mansion, the chug of the railroad, the crack of the Jungle Cruise drivers shooting the hippos, and the calls of the tropical birds all around (I made close friends with an ibis on that trip)."

Awesome! (By the way, the site he is looking to help, tikiman2001.net, is still alive and kicking a year and a half later.)

I came across this hand-painted watercolor and gouache rendering of Disney's Polynesian Resort at a flea market. From what I could research, it was done for a proposed reworking of the entrance in the mid-1980s that was never realized.

The full rendering.

Detail of the sign.

Detail of the entrance drive with Moais...
_________________JonPez
http://www.playgroundzero.net/
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Will be staying at the Polynesian in a couple of weeks. It will be my first time on the grounds in ~ 15 years and my first time staying there. Does anybody know if the Tangora Terrace survived the recent renovations?